Merry Christmas to Newton
by Susan Grigsby Guest Columnist
First, I’d like to thank all of you who have told me how much you’ve missed my columns, as that is always nice to hear. There seems to be a misconception, however, that I stopped writing due to some criticism I might have received. This is to let you know that, while there were a few folks who didn’t seem to enjoy my less-than-hard-news style of writing, that isn’t what caused me to stop. I joked to a few people that maybe I’d run out of good things to say about Newton, but that too is not the truth. I thought maybe I should take a minute here to set the record straight and to let you know just how I’m feeling about Newton these days.
I moved to Newton because I had been running on high for far too long and, like with a car, I needed to set my idle back down. The problem was that it was already too late and the damage had been done. I needed to take some time for necessary repairs and missed maintenance. Now I’m taking better care of myself in an effort to make sure I run more smoothly from here on out.
Do I still feel the same positive way about Newton that I did when I first moved here? I do. But like a bride when the glow of the honeymoon wears off, now that I have lived here for a while, I know Newton better than I did before. Note that I’m not saying that I understand it better because I believe I’ve always understood Newton. Remember that my grandparents and parents lived here for a long time before I moved back here. I was born here and grew up on stories about Newton, and we visited almost every summer. But living here has given me a better feel for the kind of people who live here and what’s important to them.
As much as I love them, I have to admit that sometimes the people here drive me a bit nutty. For all their talk about wanting new blood with new ideas, I’m on to the fact that most of them pretty much want things to stay the same. But, honestly, I’m just like them. I can be preaching one moment about how, if Newton doesn’t change, it’s never going to survive, how if we don’t have bigger businesses with more people, we won’t be able to keep up.
Then, in the next breath, I will tell you the thing I love most about Newton is the small town feel and how much I love knowing the business people by name and them knowing me by mine. I also like the feeling of safety that comes from living in a close-knit community where everyone knows everyone.
As I tell my son, the California policeman, if someone steals something here, you pretty much know who’s got it. So, I appreciate better now how you can be an advocate for change while wanting everything to stay the same.
We had lots of visitors this summer, so what did they love about Newton? Thunder and lightning. Fresh corn on the cob. Black cows with big white stripes (OK, they’re in Reasnor, but they were part of our “Newton Tour” package.) And John Deere tractors. Our good friends Ken and Deb just sent us their Christmas card with a photo of them on our tractor in front of our pond. Ron had to leave an area for each of our friends to mow while they were here visiting us.
The highlight of the summer, though, was lightning bugs. We were all sitting around the dock gabbing when my niece’s husband suddenly looked as if he had seen the Ghost of Christmas Past and said, “Michelle! Oh my gosh, Michelle! Look!” I said, “Fireflies, Don. They’re fireflies.” One evening, Ken and Deb tried to get a photo of our neighbor’s pasture that was glittering with thousands of fireflies in it. You haven’t lived until you’ve watched someone experience them for the first time. Millions of people pay good money to see electronic ones at Disneyland. We have them right here in Newton, and they don’t cost us a dime.
I have to admit that there are times when I can’t wait to get back to California. I still love all the shopping and speeding down the freeways and seeing all my family. But then, I also can’t wait to get back to Newton, away from the crowds and the traffic, back to the calm and quiet of our home by the pond. OK, I’m not sure how to fit not missing the smog into this column, but that’s another big reason that I love it here in Newton — clean air and the smell of an impending storm. And the slower pace of living here seems to fit better with my desire to live a healthy and happy lifestyle.
I wouldn’t be telling the truth if I didn’t admit that we’ve had a few frustrations and setbacks. Every once in a while we question whether we should have moved here. Owning the building downtown has been a challenge, one that sometimes gets the best of us. We transplanted Californians are having a heck of a time dealing with musty smells and damp basements. But most days, we’re doing just fine.
We’ve met so many wonderful people and made some really great friends. We love going to the Elks for dinner and the Masonic Lodge for breakfast. We love shopping at Beckman’s and Mode Huis and The Farmer’s Wife and eating lunch at Uncle Nancy’s. And just about everything else we do here in Newton.
So, as we prepare for our fourth Christmas here, is there anything I no longer love about Newton? No. Does that mean that I don’t recognize that Newton has problems? Of course not. Newton has its problems, but so does every other place we lived before moving here. And Newton has lots of good things that those places don’t have.
This is home and this is where we plan to stay. Merry Christmas, Newtonians!
Susan Grigsby may be contacted at InsideNewton@aol.com.
